Legend of Trinigard
Riva's religion is practiced by nearly all citizens of the nation, the country being extremely devout in their worship of the god that was the savior of their land. People revere Trinigard as their beloved god not only because they have to, but because many genuinely wish to give their thanks for his sacrifice. It is why an honorable death is a such a sought-after thing in Riva. Trinigard's worshippers wish to join him in the afterlife with the honored dead. The founding of the Rivan Religion is shrouded in myth and mystery, lost to the mists of time after centuries of war, and generations before that started. No one really knows how the religion came to be, but people act like they do. This is why the legend of Trinigard is such a respected story among the people, as it paints their diety as one worthy of woship and reverance. It is rumored that The Order of the Fallen knows the true origins of the religion, but it is their most well-kept secret, with rumors that only their Grandmaster is allowed to ever see it. Of course, that's simply a rumor, and it's possible that the Order knows nothing about the founding of the religion, like everyone else. Either way, the Legend of Trinigard is treated as fact. Trinigard's life is regarded as being a hard one, full of hardships and suffering, but all towards the greater good and always leading to him keeping his honor. Early life of Trinigard It is said that Trinigard was born to a carpenter father, and his wife, in one of the peasant slums in the city of Lurbuk, the capital of Riva at the time. The city was of course, above ground, as this was long before the infamous Revolt. Born with pitch black hair, and pure white irises, the infant certainly stood out, but wasn't typically feared for by his parents. They loved him all the same, caring for him despite their low living conditions. Raised in a cradle until he could walk, Trinigard was a rather ordinary infant, but then again, how extraordinary could an infant possibly be? It was only slightly later in life that his parents would notice something different about their child, other than his unique appearance. As he became old enough to be trusted with a carpenter's tools, he began to help his father with his work. However, it was at this time that his father noticed that Trinigard had an unusual amount of strength, lifting bundles of wood that would give him trouble, let alone a small boy. Yet there he was, lifting lumber like paper. The father thought his child was somehow blessed, and immediately began to spread word about his amazing son. People soon flocked to see the "blessed boy" the man spoke of, and were subsequently impressed as well, continuing to spread rumors about the boy, how the carpenter's wife had given birth to a blessed child. It wasn't long until the people believed the boy to be some kind of good omen, and they began to give offerings to him in hopes that good fortune would be bestowed upon him. The carpenter's family flourished because of this, increasing their wealth exponentially and generally improving their lives with luxuries they could never have hoped to afford in their earlier life. The boy was a local celebrity. Eventually, word spread so far that even the local governor learnt of the boy's talent, and requested a meeting with him. Demonstrating his unique strength, the Governor was very impressed like the rest of the city, and offered the boy's family a large sum of cash if the boy agreed to join the police. Of course, with pressure from his parents, he agreed. He was trained for nearly 3 years, impressing every instructor he was with, with his strength, and made a wonderful example to the other guards in training. He was only 17 when he was officially named a city guard. The Rise Trinigard worked with the police force in Lurbuk for quite some time, amassing a service of 7 years total. In those seven years, he had made a good deal of friends, and even earned a nickname as "The Iron Fist of Lurbuk". His parents prospered thanks to the wealth the governor bestowed upon them, and his abilities had only increased. He stood taller than any man, was in peak physical condition, and was absolutely angelic in beauty. Men and women, children and elders alike admired him and saw him as a shining, proud icon of their city. However, growing weary of the life the police had to offer, he had decided to leave the service and move on, visiting other cities and seeing how he could help with them. It was at this time his best friend in the town guard would quit as well, swearing to follow Trinigard wherever he ventured. The man's name was Mallus, and would later be known to be Trinigard's first champion. Throughout his travels, he would meet others who would swear loyalty to him. Over the next ten years, he met four others, all of which admired him greatly and sword their lives to him. His activity and impact on the citizens of all of Riva had begun to attract the attention of more than simply governors of single cities, as well. The entire Rivan aristocracy had begun to hear tales of a traveling angel and his 5 champions, improving life for all who encountered them, be it through teaching them, entertaining them, or even solving personal issues of the people. The people saw him as a true good omen, as life would improve for all who simply saw the "angel". The aristocracy were quick to summon Trinigard to an audience with the higher ranking members of the governmental body. It was there that he and his five companions were all granted honorary Knighthood status, along with all the benefits the title of Knight entailed. For so drastically putting the nation of Riva into a state of happiness and complacency, they were aptly rewarded. However, to the surprise of everyone, Trinigard refused the gifts the aristocracy wished to bestow upon him, stating that he had no need for things like that, as the well-being of Riva and its people were all he wished for. Of course, this only gave those who knew him more faith in his pure soul. Now a knight, the Angel of Riva, as he was called by many, was granted a few things that he considered useful. A set of thick armor, colored black and white, and an ornate blade befitting an angel were given to him, which he would wear at all times during his travels. Thankfully he recieved these gifts at that time as well, because not one week's travel later, he saw that his home City was burnt to the ground. When he arrived, the fires were still blazing, but everyone was already dead. It was clear what did this; Orcs. Riva used to have a bit of an Orc problem, you see, but the advent of technology such as firearms seemed to have driven them away. Still, the orcs must have felt especially bold when attacking Lurbuk. In a frenzied panic, Trinigard scoured the ruins of his city for survivors whilst slaying any orc that got in his way. It was only at the break of the next dawn that he would find his parents' bodies... charred and covered in ash. Thrown into an immense rage at the revelation of his dead parents, his eyes filled up with a blazing, white light, and beatiful, shining wings sprouted from the back of his armor, filling the sky with a blinding light of righteous fury. There were thousands of orcs, and he slayed them all mercilessly before the sun set. The streets of Lurbuk ran red with their blood. The day was later known as "The Day of Rage". His 5 companions witnessing this, they finally realized that Trinigad was no mere human, but something more. Their respect for him grew... Or so it seemed. The Betrayal More years passed, and the Angel of Riva's age began to show. Going into his late 30's, he was still as fit and beautiful as ever, but things began to stagnate. It wasn't until his 39th birthday that he would be offered a choice that would change the history of Riva forever. On his 39th birthday, he was called into court by the aristocracy once more with his 5 companions. Of course, he obliged, and payed them a visit at their council. Their offer for him this time, however, wasn't about donations or money... it was about changing the fate of the nation. The entire governmental body believed it to be in their best interest to elect Trinigard as the Governor General of the entire nation, the one ruler at the very top. Taken aback, he hesitantly accepted, willing to take on the role in order to improve his beloved nation. However, while most of his companions were extremely happy for him, there was one who began to brood, and grow jealous. It wasn't until a year later, when Trinigard was 40, that an event that would cause the single most influential event in Rivan history. Trinigard was on a leave to a small city to make a speech, a simple affair not worth too much thought. However, while he was in the city, he was suddenly informed by a messenger that the Capital of Riva itself was under siege. In fear and panic, the leader of Riva rushed back to his palace at the Capital. It took nearly an entire two days of travel, but he finally arrived... Only to see his first champion, his beloved friend, his own brother-in-arms, Mallus, covered in the blood of his four other most trusted friends he had ever had. Mallus had grown extremely envious of the Angel, and it had begun to taint his mind. After so many years of letting the envy and dark intentions inside of him boil, he finally snapped, murdering his comrades and betraying his friend, his king ''in hopes of overthrowing him and taking his throne for himself. As Mallus attacked Trinigard with unusual power, The Angel of Riva did not retaliate. He wished to see his friend realize the errors of his ways. He didn't want to believe that Mallus, he whom he saw as his brother, would descend into madness like this. However, realizing he was not going to stop until he was dead, Trinigard attempted to slay his own friend with his sword, cleaving Mallus in two. The Ascension But he did not revel in his victory, like he did with the orcs. Trinigad had just slayed his most beloved friend he had ever had, and so he simply knelt down beside his corpse, and wept. He wept over his dead friends, his brother's betrayal, and over the fact that he could have stopped it all, had he denied the offer to become king of Riva. However, his weeping was cut short as an ethereal voice emenated from Mallus's remains. It was a dark, menacing voice that filled Trinigard with dread and loathing, like the voice itself would be able to hurt him if he let it. It identified itself simply as The Dark, the ancient evil that all Rivans feared as the antithesis to all that was good in the world, stating that Mallus was simply an instrument for its ambition. Leaking out of Mallus's body in a thick, black ooze, it formed into a massive, horrid monstrosity, big enough to blot out the sun itself. Trinigard had no chance. He was severely wounded and distraught, confused and emotionally compromised. And yet he did not give up in the face of such impossible odds. Seeing how his friend was used like that, used as a vehicle and forced to betray Trinigard sent him into a blazing fury, once more sprouting his fiery wings and causing his eyes to glow with the light of the sun, he engaged in combat with the ancient terror. Blow after blow, he slowly weakened The Dark, only for it to regenerate again over and over. However, he finally managed to wither it down to a manageable state after hours of fighting. He knew it wouldn't be defeated by simply attacking it. He needed to destroy it all at once. In one final attack, Trinigard, in front of the audience of thousands that witnessed his heroic deeds, latched onto the Darkness, and began to scream in rage, shouting out to his beloved people below. "''IN MY DEATH, TAKE SOLACE, PEOPLE OF RIVA. I WILL BE WITH YOU FOREVER IN THE AFTERLIFE. ALWAYS FIGHT WITH HONOR, AND NEVER FORGET WHO YOU ARE!" Suddenly, with an ear-splitting war-cry, he burst into a blinding light, incinerating the Dark completely and banishing it forever from the world. However, it would not come without cost, as the Angel's charred body, still clad in his golden armor, fell to the ground, motionless. Trinigard was dead, but his spirit and legacy would forever live on in his worship. "Praise be the Dead God, for he has saved us all." - Old Rivan Prayer Category:Lore